Perioperative Esthetician Consults Provides Patients with Flawless Aesthetic Outcomes in Facelift

Goals/Purpose: The skincare market has become increasingly popular as the desire for facial rejuvenation has been rising exponentially. Aging patients often consult cosmetic surgeons to help restore their youthful glow. While the facelift procedure may only take a few hours, the recovery period can last up to weeks. As patients are eager to see their rejuvenated appearance, the initial postoperative edema and swelling can alarm patients, leading them to seek options that will speed up the recovery process. However, when shopping for the best product to treat their ailment, patients are overwhelmed with options which can result in choosing a suboptimal product or treatment. Additionally, choosing the wrong product can sensitize the skin and lead to further complications, prolonging the road to recovery. Thus, the perfect person for them to turn to in their state of distress is a skincare professional, such as an esthetician. Estheticians provide patients with the unique benefit of personalizing a pre and postoperative skincare regimen to accelerate the recovery process and enhance aesthetic outcomes. By engaging with an esthetician preoperatively, patients' skin type is evaluated, and they are guided to treatment protocols that best suit their individual needs. Furthermore, estheticians have access to light therapy and skincare products that can help increase blood circulation, encourage lymphatic drainage, and increase collagen and elastin production which all aid in the healing process. Therefore, preoperative and postoperative treatment with estheticians provides patients with skincare regimens specific to their skin type/condition, stimulating the healing process and augmenting patient satisfaction and aesthetic outcomes.

Methods/Technique: Patient satisfaction and reported aesthetic outcomes of patients who underwent facial rejuvenation surgery performed by a single surgeon were evaluated. All patients had pre and postoperative consultations with a board-certified esthetician who provided recommendations for preoperative and postoperative skincare maintenance regimens. Preoperative regimens included medical grade Vitamin C, Retin-A, triple lipid moisturizers, HydraFacial, and LED light therapy to optimize skin conditions to accelerate healing and decrease risk of postoperative complications, such as redness, swelling, and bruising. Postoperative regimens included lymphatic drainage massage, laser therapy, microneedling, and triple lipid moisturizers, Vitamin C, and Retin-A.

Results/Complications: Patients who followed the recommendations provided reported improved satisfaction rates and overall aesthetic outcomes. All postoperative complaints were addressed in postoperative consultations and were treated with the appropriate regimen for their unique condition. All patients reported complete resolution of their postoperative concerns and a facile recovery period.

Conclusion: As the desire for facial rejuvenation becomes increasingly popular, patients are undergoing more cosmetic surgical procedures, such as the facelift. Though effective in restoring the youthful appearance, the facelift is not able to produce the desired immediate results as the healing process occurs over weeks. Thus, patients become frustrated and seek additional non-invasive methods to accelerate the recovery period. However, the overwhelming number of treatment options and unfamiliarity with products can lead patients down the wrong path, resulting in additional complications and possibly prolonging the healing process. Therefore, pre and postoperative consultation with an esthetician provides patients with the unparalleled benefit of guidance to the optimal individualized perioperative skincare regimen.